Jul 7, 2008 10:45 am US/Central
Alex Rodriguez's Wife Files For Divorce
MIAMI (CBS) ―
Alex Rodriguez may have hit a home run at Yankee Stadium Sunday night, but he's clearly striking out at home.
Cynthia Rodriguez, who married the Yankee slugger in 2002, filed for divorce in Miami on Monday morning, saying her husband has "emotionally abandoned his wife and children." She hired lawyer Earle Lilly to take the Yankees' $275 million cleanup hitter to the cleaners.
The reported sexcapade with pop icon Madonna was the final insult.
"The last straw was the relationship. A lot of people have talked to me about sexual infidelity. He has dismally failed to keep the marital vows intact," Lilly told CBS station WCBS-TV on the phone.
It's turning into a real bench-clearing brawl with A-Rod's high-priced legal team also filing for divorce in Miami, blaming the wife for the marital break-up because of her reluctance to reconcile, and the siren at the center of it all saying she had no role at all.
In a statement to People Magazine, Madonna responded to the alleged affair by saying, "I brought my kids to a Yankees game. I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez. I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage."
The "Justify My Love" singer also said she was "not planning on getting a divorce" from her husband of seven years, Guy Ritchie, while also denying she used Kaballah to brainwash the slugger into believing they are soul mates.
"I like A-Rod. I don't care what he does," fan Michelle Steiner said.
"I don't think he ever cheated on his wife. I think that Madonna is his friend," another fan, Rudy Padilla, said.
Cynthia Rodriguez meanwhile is now saying her husband has only seen their 3-month-old baby Ella two or three times. She is seeking primary custody of the couple's two children.
The couple did sign a prenuptial agreement when they wed, but that will likely be contested in court.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
